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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22614925">Pretty in red</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria'>HogwartsToAlexandria</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Marie Ships it All Shorts 2019 [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Love at First Sight, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Divorce, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:28:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>641</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22614925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HogwartsToAlexandria/pseuds/HogwartsToAlexandria</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Across the ballroom all Bucky can see is the woman standing at the edge of the dancefloor, not fully joining in, not completely backing out either. And if it takes his ex-husband nudging him in the right direction, well, Bucky was never one to close down for that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Past James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Marie Ships it All Shorts 2019 [28]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649578</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Tony Stark Flash Bingo</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pretty in red</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just a short thing I had written for the November Flash Bingo card 1. Hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>James Buchanan Barnes did not much care for the galas his ex-husband, now best friend, always managed to make him cave into going. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is, he usually didn't. But tonight? Tonight Bucky thought he might just kiss Tony, for old times' sake, and because there just weren't enough words to express how thankful he was for the man forcing him to Carnegie Hall on a perfectly fine Thursday he could have spent watching NCIS in his sleepwear, and having him in a tux and in the line of sight of the most beautiful woman his bisexual self had ever set eyes on instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gorgeous, right?" Tony whispered in his ear as he slid next to him at the bar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bucky gave him a side-glance, a surprised smile on his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't look so shocked, fancy pants, I can always tell when someone strikes your fancy." Tony clicked his tongue and then, feigning an afterthought he added, "She's single, by the way, and I'm not just </span>
  <em>
    <span>saying</span>
  </em>
  <span> that, I'm saying, she's been looking at you just as long as you've been looking at her." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a kiss to Bucky's cheek, Tony slid back onto the dancefloor and into the arms of his new fiancé. Bucky watched them, the way Stephen's arms circled Tony's waist, the way they only looked at each other and seemed to be cracking jokes at the same time as they said how much they loved one another and Bucky knew they'd made the right choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony and Bucky had been married going on eight years by the time they called it quits, falling out of romantic love happens, and it wasn't sad per se. They tried making it work, for themselves as much as for the kids, but the more time passed, even Eli and his then five year-old perspective could tell that his parents weren't enjoying the same kind of relationship that they once had, and Liz was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> - her words - with the way they danced around each other. Seeing Tony now, with that glint which Bucky knew so well and clearly meant that he was head over heels over Stephen, and hearing it confirmed by his daughter every other week when she came back at his place, Bucky was happy for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was also awestruck. Because for all the thoughts going through his mind then, the main one, the loudest one, had to be that this woman in the red dress and red hair swaying to the beat of the music without fully joining the dancefloor was too beautiful to be true. And that she was still looking at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Time to shine, Barnes. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Catching the wink Stephen sent him over Tony's shoulder, Bucky shook himself into action. He moved from the bar and walked, steadily, pep-talking himself the whole way there, to the woman. When he got to standing in front of her - first off, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow even more pretty up close </span>
  </em>
  <span>- she bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at him slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I help you?" She said, an eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on her lips when Bucky </span>
  <em>
    <span>did not </span>
  </em>
  <span>blush but found himself at a loss for words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cleared his throat. Then he nodded. Then finally, he started talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm...I'm James Barnes, and, before you send me back to where I come from because who cares who I am, I'd like to ask you to dance with me. Will you?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did. She danced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Bucky was never happier he'd had the guts to make the first step after four years of being hopeless at dating and thinking that maybe, he should content himself with his single dad gig. He didn't have to, not for too long after that first dance, that became several, that became the threshold of a new life, with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Natasha</span>
  </em>
  <span> at his side.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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